Missourians will have the opportunity to vote for or against the legalization of recreational adult-use marijuana on Nov. 8. As the time nears, organizations across the state are banding together to inform voters about Amendment 3.
In a recent statement, the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys outlined their opposition to the amendment.
Dan Patterson, association president and Greene County prosecuting attorney, said adding legislation about recreational marijuana to the state’s constitution is “the wrong way to do it.”
“The constitution is not a place to put a (39)-page document that deals with everything from licensing to taxation to regulation to punishments to expungement,” Patterson said. “This is an experiment that is being proposed in Missouri, and there’s no way to fix the parts of it that would go wrong.”
Patterson said one of his main concerns with Amendment 3 is how it would impact pre-trial release, probation and parole.
If an individual commits an impaired driving offense, under the influence of marijuana, he said Amendment 3 would prohibit the court from telling the individual to stop using marijuana when they’re on bond or probation
“If (an individual is) put into our treatment courts, which are focused on rehabilitation and as an alternative to prison for individuals with substance abuse issues, a treatment court judge … can’t prohibit them under Amendment 3 from using marijuana,” Patterson said. “It makes no sense and it’s totally contrary to all…
